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Jaloni Cambridge leads Ohio State women in lopsided win over Northwestern 92-62
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
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Ralph Schudel - Columbus Wired
The Buckeyes make easy work of the Wildcats as they return home and start Big Ten play in earnest.
The No. 10 Ohio State women’s basketball team was back home for the first time since December 17, taking on the Northwestern Wildcats before a predicted snowstorm was set to hit Central Ohio. In the Schottenstein Center, freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge reasserted herself following a right shoulder injury, scoring 20 points to lead the Buckeyes over the Wildcats 92-62.
Ohio State couldn’t have gotten off to a better start defensively. Each of the first four possessions for the Wildcats ended in turnovers. The Buckeyes went ahead 7-0 quickly, forcing Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown to call a timeout after 1:39 trickled off the game clock.
Making matters worse for the Wildcats was the absence of graduate senior forward Taylor Williams. The former Michigan Wolverine was questionable on the availability report Sunday but didn’t see the court. That meant the Wildcats were without Williams’ 10.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Even without Williams, Northwestern’s early break helped and the Illinois side responded with a six-point run. The momentum didn’t last but the Wildcats did keep up offensively for the remainder of the quarter. At the end of the first, Ohio State had a 10-point lead.
The Buckeyes extended the lead to nearly 20 points by the end of the second quarter, but it was without much play from freshman center Elsa Lemmilä. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s sixth player in most games came into the game but picked up fouls quickly. In four minutes between the first and second quarters, Lemmilä picked up four fouls.
That’s because Northwestern’s focus was mainly on the post. The Wildcats had 16 points in the paint, just under half of their 34-point first-half total coming near the basket. Northwestern took advantage of their size and physicality to out-rebound Ohio State in the opening 20 minutes 22-14 with senior Caileigh Walsh leading everyone with six first-half rebounds and a team-leading 12 points, starting in Williams’ place.
McGuff’s side wasn’t too phased by Northwestern excelling inside, because the Ohio State defense and perimeter shooting separated the sides.
Leading the deep shooting effort for the Scarlet and Gray was freshman Ava Watson who hit all three attempts in the first half, enjoying more minutes moving ahead of Kennedy Cambridge on the Buckeyes’ depth chart. Watson and Chance Gray hit all five of Ohio State’s three-point shots of the half, going 50 percent from the floor as a team.
Watson added two steals defensively, part of a half where the Buckeyes forced 16 Wildcat turnovers, turning them into 15 additional points.
McMahon ended the first half emphatically on the last offensive possession. After the Buckeyes drained the shot clock, McMahon went to the basket, took contact from two Wildcats, and hit a layup as she fell to the court. No foul was called but McMahon was excited regardless, screaming at half-court as the team headed to the locker room.
To start the second half, Ohio State freshman Cambridge began to reassert herself for the first time since returning from injury on Dec. 20 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. After scoring 11 points in the first half, the freshman scored seven quick points in the first three minutes of the third quarter, plus 2 steals, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and an assist. It was three minutes of play that outshined Cambridge’s two points in 27 minutes against Rutgers.
Cambridge led a third quarter where the Scarlet and Gray continued to pull away from the Wildcats.
At the end of the third, Ohio State pushed the lead up to 34 points after outscoring the visitors 24-9 in the quarter. Capping it off was an impressive play by Lemmilä, who McGuff brought back in during the third quarter. After the rough start to the game, Lemmilä took a Watson missed a three-point attempt and while in midair tossed the offensive rebound into the basket for a second chance point at the buzzer that put the crowd on their feet.
With 3:42 remaining in the third quarter, McGuff took most of his starters out of the game, and none returned in the fourth quarter with Ohio State so far ahead. The Buckeyes kept pushing, matching Northwestern’s shots and extending the home lead.
Cambridge led the Buckeyes in the win with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. McMahon added 16 points with five rebounds while Watson and Gray ended the day with a combined seven three-point shots. Ohio State had five players hit double-digit scoring, with Lemmilä scoring 11 in the second half.
The Wildcats had four players in double figures themselves, but only two other players got on the scoresheet for coach McKeown’s side.
The Buckeyes now have two days off until they make the short trip north to Ann Arbor on Wednesday night. It’s the line regular season matchup against their Michigan Wolverine rivals.
Last season, Ohio State lost to the Wolverines to end the 2023 calendar on Dec. 30 but responded with a 15-game winning streak. On Feb. 28, 2024, the Buckeyes faced Michigan again, this time defeating them 67-51, following it up with a trophy celebration for securing the outright Big Ten regular season championship.
This time around, the Wolverines have a vastly different roster, anchored by a group of three freshmen that includes a candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year in guard Syla Swords. The freshman has 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Wolverines.
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ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Ralph Schudel - Columbus Wired
The Buckeyes make easy work of the Wildcats as they return home and start Big Ten play in earnest.
The No. 10 Ohio State women’s basketball team was back home for the first time since December 17, taking on the Northwestern Wildcats before a predicted snowstorm was set to hit Central Ohio. In the Schottenstein Center, freshman guard Jaloni Cambridge reasserted herself following a right shoulder injury, scoring 20 points to lead the Buckeyes over the Wildcats 92-62.
Ohio State couldn’t have gotten off to a better start defensively. Each of the first four possessions for the Wildcats ended in turnovers. The Buckeyes went ahead 7-0 quickly, forcing Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown to call a timeout after 1:39 trickled off the game clock.
Making matters worse for the Wildcats was the absence of graduate senior forward Taylor Williams. The former Michigan Wolverine was questionable on the availability report Sunday but didn’t see the court. That meant the Wildcats were without Williams’ 10.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.
Even without Williams, Northwestern’s early break helped and the Illinois side responded with a six-point run. The momentum didn’t last but the Wildcats did keep up offensively for the remainder of the quarter. At the end of the first, Ohio State had a 10-point lead.
The Buckeyes extended the lead to nearly 20 points by the end of the second quarter, but it was without much play from freshman center Elsa Lemmilä. Head coach Kevin McGuff’s sixth player in most games came into the game but picked up fouls quickly. In four minutes between the first and second quarters, Lemmilä picked up four fouls.
That’s because Northwestern’s focus was mainly on the post. The Wildcats had 16 points in the paint, just under half of their 34-point first-half total coming near the basket. Northwestern took advantage of their size and physicality to out-rebound Ohio State in the opening 20 minutes 22-14 with senior Caileigh Walsh leading everyone with six first-half rebounds and a team-leading 12 points, starting in Williams’ place.
McGuff’s side wasn’t too phased by Northwestern excelling inside, because the Ohio State defense and perimeter shooting separated the sides.
Leading the deep shooting effort for the Scarlet and Gray was freshman Ava Watson who hit all three attempts in the first half, enjoying more minutes moving ahead of Kennedy Cambridge on the Buckeyes’ depth chart. Watson and Chance Gray hit all five of Ohio State’s three-point shots of the half, going 50 percent from the floor as a team.
Watson added two steals defensively, part of a half where the Buckeyes forced 16 Wildcat turnovers, turning them into 15 additional points.
McMahon ended the first half emphatically on the last offensive possession. After the Buckeyes drained the shot clock, McMahon went to the basket, took contact from two Wildcats, and hit a layup as she fell to the court. No foul was called but McMahon was excited regardless, screaming at half-court as the team headed to the locker room.
To start the second half, Ohio State freshman Cambridge began to reassert herself for the first time since returning from injury on Dec. 20 against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. After scoring 11 points in the first half, the freshman scored seven quick points in the first three minutes of the third quarter, plus 2 steals, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and an assist. It was three minutes of play that outshined Cambridge’s two points in 27 minutes against Rutgers.
Cambridge led a third quarter where the Scarlet and Gray continued to pull away from the Wildcats.
At the end of the third, Ohio State pushed the lead up to 34 points after outscoring the visitors 24-9 in the quarter. Capping it off was an impressive play by Lemmilä, who McGuff brought back in during the third quarter. After the rough start to the game, Lemmilä took a Watson missed a three-point attempt and while in midair tossed the offensive rebound into the basket for a second chance point at the buzzer that put the crowd on their feet.
With 3:42 remaining in the third quarter, McGuff took most of his starters out of the game, and none returned in the fourth quarter with Ohio State so far ahead. The Buckeyes kept pushing, matching Northwestern’s shots and extending the home lead.
Cambridge led the Buckeyes in the win with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. McMahon added 16 points with five rebounds while Watson and Gray ended the day with a combined seven three-point shots. Ohio State had five players hit double-digit scoring, with Lemmilä scoring 11 in the second half.
The Wildcats had four players in double figures themselves, but only two other players got on the scoresheet for coach McKeown’s side.
What’s Next
The Buckeyes now have two days off until they make the short trip north to Ann Arbor on Wednesday night. It’s the line regular season matchup against their Michigan Wolverine rivals.
Last season, Ohio State lost to the Wolverines to end the 2023 calendar on Dec. 30 but responded with a 15-game winning streak. On Feb. 28, 2024, the Buckeyes faced Michigan again, this time defeating them 67-51, following it up with a trophy celebration for securing the outright Big Ten regular season championship.
This time around, the Wolverines have a vastly different roster, anchored by a group of three freshmen that includes a candidate for Big Ten Freshman of the Year in guard Syla Swords. The freshman has 16.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists for the Wolverines.
Continue reading...